I have tiger barbs in one tank and golden barbs in another, and a person would never know they were even distantly related. The tigers are feisty and the goldens are as peaceful as can be. I recently read that they're not actually a schooling fish (credit to Alien Anna, I believe), which was somewhat surprising to me, as my five school together as well as my five tigers do, although they're not nearly as active as the tigers. Four of the five golden barbs were acquired with a second-hand tank (I bought the fifth because I believed they were shoaling fish and there was one lone golden barb at my lfs) and, at first, I wasn't too impressed with them. I even remember thinking, "Why would somebody dedicate space to a school of these when there are so many prettier fish around?" However, after watching them for only a very short time, my mind was totally changed. Their golden colour is actually quite outstanding, and they're almost always front and centre in my tank.